Dame Marie Bashir, the first female governor of New South Wales, has died. She was 95.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, confirmed her death on Tuesday on behalf of her family, writing in a statement that he was saddened to share the news of her passing.
“On behalf of the people of New South Wales, I extend my deepest condolences to Dame Marie’s family, friends and all those who were inspired by her remarkable life,” he wrote.
“Dame Marie Bashir served our state with distinction as the first female governor of NSW from 2001 to 2014, bringing to the role immense dignity and compassion.”
“Dame Marie was an extraordinary Australian and one of New South Wales’ most respected public servants.”
In a tribute posted to X, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said “her lifetime of service to the medical profession, her community and her fellow Australians was defined by her powerful sense of duty and her abiding passion for helping others.”
“As the first woman to serve as Governor of New South Wales she was both a pioneer and an inspiration. In all she did, Dame Marie blended dignity with warmth and intellect with empathy.
“Our nation is poorer for the passing of Dame Marie Bashir and Australia is richer for her life.”
Bashir was the first person of Lebanese descent to be appointed NSW governor and the third woman to be appointed governor of an Australian state.
Bashir was married to Sir Nicholas Shehadie, the former lord mayor of Sydney, for 61 years, and had three children and six grandchildren.
She was also a distinguished psychiatrist and an advocate for mental health, education and social inclusion.
The former NSW premier, Bob Carr, who recommended her appointment as governor in 2001 described her as “the most compassionate person I think I’ve ever met”.
“She was a psychiatrist with a focus on adolescent psychiatry at a time when we were beginning to appreciate mental health issues in general and the challenge for young people of mental health,” he told ABC Radio National on Wednesday morning.
“Her insights into this area, I think, were appreciated by the half-dozen or so premiers she worked with, but it was a compassion that infused her personality that made her such a universally respected figure.”
The independent state MP for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, said that Bashir, who was a parade marshal for the 2015 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, had “always supported the rights and equality of the LGBTIQA+ community from the Aids crisis to the marriage equality campaign”.
“Thank you Dame Marie Bashir, your legacy continues to give us all strength,” he wrote in a tribute on Instagram.
Bashir was born in Narrandera in the central Riverina region of south-west NSW in 1930. In 1956, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Sydney, where she later worked as a clinical professor of psychiatry, and later served as the university’s chancellor between 2007 and 2012.
Minns wrote that, as Bashir reflected on her 14 years as governor, she “explained that she deliberately chose not to extend her tenure beyond that point, despite being widely respected, because she did not wish to surpass Sir Roden Cutler as the longest-serving governor”.
“It was a decision that reflected her humility and deep respect for those who came before her,” he said.
“The people of New South Wales held Dame Marie in great respect and affection, reflecting the trust and goodwill she earned over a lifetime of service.”
Minns said a state funeral would be held in her honour.
